Bali – Land of temples, shrines and fruit smoothies

February 26 – 27, 2015

Because we had to skip Geraldton, AU we had two full days in Bali. This is our first port of three in Indonesia and, except for the heat and humidity, we were captivated. 85 - 90% of the population in Bali is Hindu, which makes it the only island in Indonesia that is not predominantly Muslim, who comprise only 4% of the population in Bali, but more than 70% of Indonesia’s population. After Hindu, the next most prominent religion on Bali is Buddhism.

Almost every house has multiple shrines to which the residents make offerings and prayers several times a day for “good Karma.” Hindus believe in one supreme god with lots of ‘”associates.” They also believe in reincarnation which, if they are good, can end after a few manifestations with a permanent place in heaven.  

Indonesia was created in 1945 and is made up of hundreds (maybe thousands at low tide) of islands.

Since many of the staff on the ship are from Indonesia, the cruise line arranges for the families of crew members to visit the ship while it is in port. Both our stateroom attendant, Bagus, and our waiter in the dining room, Tomo, are Balinese, and were able to spend the night at home with wife and children. We told Bagus not to bother cleaning our room while we were in port so he could spend more time with his family. Many of our fellow travelers did the same thing. Also, we did not go to the dining room the first night in port so that Tomo would have fewer tables to attend and get out earlier. At least two other tables in his section did the same. It was fun seeing the children and family members touring the ship. We understand that the numbers of family members will be even larger in our next two ports.

Our Bali port is Benoa and we were welcomed by a typical Balinese music group and dancers.

Balinese welcome band. My camera lens was fogged over from the humidity.

On day one, our unexpected extra day, we hired a driver to take us around the Benoa region. We visited a batik production facility where we watched cloth being woven on old looms and the wax being applied to finished and stenciled cloth by hand. Of course, good tourists that we are, we bought three scarves (like I needed more scarves – but read on, it gets better), and a batik shirt for John. We may have paid too much but we could trust the authenticity – unlike the goods offered by the many street and market vendors. We also had lunch at a beach-side restaurant which served delicious grilled fresh fish with rice, of course. Rice is the most consumed food and most prevalent crop on Bali. Second is fruit, so the restaurants all offer fresh fruit juices – including banana, watermelon, melon, strawberry, etc., -- all blended fresh on the premises.  Delicious!

We also learned of an interesting Hindu holiday coming up March 21. After a day and evening before of parades and other festivities – think Mardi Gras – at 6:00 a.m. on the 21^st the entire island observes the Day of Silence until 6:00 a.m. on the 22^nd. During this time no one speaks, works, travels, uses artificial lighting, or eats. Even the Bali airport closes down and believe me, it’s a very busy airport! No cars on the street, everyone stays home “meditating.” Tomo, our dining room attendant, although Hindu does not observe this day on the ship.

After our day ashore with our guide, the next morning we were up bright and early for a trip into the mountains. First stop was the Pura Kehen Temple, built in the 11^th century in Bangli – about a two-hour bus ride. This temple is magnificent, not only for its importance in the Hindu faith, but for the intricacy of the stone and wood carvings. It is presided over by the demonic face of Kala Makara. I doubt that our pictures do it justice. This is one of the oldest and most famous temples – on an island of hundreds of temples. Speaking of temples and shrines, unless it is for a particular festival or holiday, most are draped in a black and white check cloth which symbolizes good (white, duh) and evil, or in Chinese – ying and yang.

Note the pink sashes. This was for people who were "properly covered." Everyone else - those wearing shorts above the knee - were given sarongs to wear.

After lunch in Selat at a hill-top restaurant overlooking a rice plantation where the views of the rice fields and the mountains in the background were spectacular, our next stop was Klungkung Kertagosa – a building designed and built in 1710 by the best artisans in the country. The complex includes the Bale Kambang Floating Pavilion and the Kertagosa Royal Court. Again, the pictures really fail to adequately capture the intricacy and sheer volume of the carvings. One note about the murals on the ceilings – they all depict a violent culture! At this point our good weather ran out and we toured the grounds in the rain.

Our view during lunch at Selat

View of Floating Pavilion

The surrounding town was an interesting contrast to the formality of the Klungkung Kertagosa with seemingly thousands of motorbikes – the preferred mode of transport in the small towns and villages we visited. One picture shows hundreds of motorbikes gathered near the local school waiting to pick up the kids. In another photo taken at lunch, is a man walking home from work carrying a bundle of reeds on his head as he passes a motorbike under a near-by tree.

Then we left the more urban area for a rather perilous drive up a winding, narrow, road with sharp drop-offs in places as we made our way to the village of Tenganan – a walled mountain village that is home to the Bali Aga, who are the descendants of the original island people and who maintain their pre-Hindu culture. Although it was raining and the street was slippery and flooded, we saw the woven “flaming cloth” for which the village is famous. However, we were unable to witness a demonstration of the process because the power was out so the workroom was too dark. Another craft evident in the village was basket weaving from abundant local reeds. This is where I again succumbed and bought a handbag – like I need another handbag, either.

Smart rooster staying dry in Tenganan

The poverty in Bali is obvious – which is why so many young men (primarily) leave home to work on the cruise ships. The little girl in this picture was playing in a pile of lava sand next to the highway while her mother worked on the various statues and urns being made here.

This was near a major rotary in the middle of which was a recently erected statue of Rama and the monkey army that helped him defeat his wife’s kidnappers. It’s a Balinese story similar to Romeo and Juliet but with a happy ending.

The people are also very aggressive salespeople, which could be both disconcerting as he or she follows you down the street continually lowering the asked for price, and sad because you understand the desperation. It seemed that everywhere we went, by the time we left a new supply of sarongs, shirts, scarves and table linens popped up for the taking.

And so we said a fond farewell to Bali. We learned two Balinese phrases. Each island has its own language while there is a general Indonesian language (Bahasa) understood by everyone. Our Balinese guides and our dinner server taught us “suksema” for “thank you,” and “ohm suas tias tu” which means “greetings.”

Selamat Tidur – Bahasa for “Good night.”